The Member for Southern Downs, James Lister, was ejected from the parliamentary chamber by the Speaker, Curtis Pitt, for interrupting the Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, during Question time on Tuesday morning.

Mr Lister said that he didn’t blame the speaker for his decision, as he was “pretty loud when I called out”.

“Premier Palaszczuk was telling parliament about how she listens to Queenslanders, so I called out and reminded her that she refused to send anyone to represent her government at the community crime forum I ran in Goondiwindi last week,” said Mr Lister.

“And then she had the temerity to say that she sent her police minister to Goondiwindi, which is laughable.

“The premier sent her police minister to Gundy on a lightning in-out visit on a VIP jet, with the community unaware that she was in town.

How’s that listening?” Mr Lister said.

“So I called her out on this as well during question time.

That’s when Mr Speaker chucked me out for an hour,” he said.

“If Annastacia Palaszczuk won’t listen to my communities about the crime and roads we have to put up with, it leaves me few other opportunities to make us heard, ” he said.

This article appeared in the Allora Advertiser, 15 March 2023.